Into the Night
by oHONEYNUTcheerioso
Summary: Morgana's curious behavior causes Arthur to follow her into the woods late at night. What secrets and sparks will arise from this mysterious encounter?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:**

**Hey it's Honey! But guess what....this isn't my story for once :D Cheerios decided to give this writing thing a try, taking a break from her normal publicity role. I hope you enjoy her story! There will be more to come!**

**Disclaimer: Nope. Do not own.  
**

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"This is completely justified," Arthur murmured to himself, "no reason to feel like the largest creep in the whole kingdom of Camelot. None at all." Just because he was stalking, err… _investigating_, Morgana did not mean he should be thrown in the dungeons like the actual perverts.

After all, he was crowned prince of Camelot, and he was merely following Morgana to ensure she didn't do anything stupid. He knew he was overly protective of the King's ward, but he attributed this to be a result of growing up with the girl, or rather more of a woman now. _A lovely woman…,_ Arthur began to let his mind wander but quickly reined in his thoughts. _She's practically my sister_! He shook his head and scolded himself, _focus. _

Flicking his ice blue eyes up to his target ahead, Arthur slowed his pace to stay concealed. If Morgana hadn't been acting a touch more jumpy than usual, he'd be fast asleep in his warm, comfortable bed.

He knew the changes in her actions were minor, so minor that he felt rather embarrassed for watching her so closely to notice such details. After all, did the King notice that Morgana's face had turned even paler than her normal ivory when he casually asked if she had slept well? Did anyone notice that she had a barely visible scrape on the palm of her right hand?

He sighed, exhaling a combination of annoyance and confusion. After all, he was trained to be observant; it could mean the difference between life and death. But there was no reason to be so observant of her; surely her actions wouldn't directly cause him harm.

_But if anything harmed her_... Arthur shuddered to think of what he would do to the beast. He felt a rising wave of rage and anguish at the thought of Morgana cold and still. Arthur kept a close watch on Morgana and noted that her day was normal, even rather boring. Knowing better than to give up his investigation at night, Arthur watched the only exit from Morgana's chambers, hidden from site.

As the moon rose, Arthur's eyes began to feel weighted with the lack of sleep. When he saw a willowy, cloaked figure hurry through the large doorway his eyes flew open as he rushed to follow the figure. Curiosity fueled his alertness. He had to know where Morgana stole away to in the middle of the night.

Tugging the hood of his silver cloak over his golden hair, Arthur silently followed far behind the rushing figure. Out of the courtyard, out of the castle walls, and into the forest. _Was Morgana mad!_? Heating up with fury, Arthur considered how easily some monster, whether creature or man, could steal the light from behind her bright, silvery-blue eyes.

Quickening his pace, the prince nearly stopped Morgana before she reached the woods. Arthur knew from her movements that she had done this before, and his interest stopped him from interfering. _What could possibly draw Morgana into the woods at this hour? _

She moved deeper into the forest until Arthur could no longer see stone walls of the castle behind him, only brush, trees, and darkness. Arthur was thankful that Morgana had brought a lantern with her; the light from it shone enough for him to follow.

Finally, the light stopped moving. Morgana must have found the place she needed. The prince's eyes flashed around where the lady was standing and saw it was a small clearing – free of most brush.

His eyes found no gleaming swords lurking at the edge of the clearing, and he instinctively knew that Morgana was not in immediate danger. Relaxing slightly, Arthur silently inched closer to see what she was hunched over.

_A candle?_ Arthur was at a loss for an explanation – she already had a lantern. He watched as Morgana sat on the ground and starred at the candle, as if she expected something to happen to it at any moment. She heaved a large sigh of frustration and closed her eyes. The prince craved to know what worry plagued her mind, wishing he could dispel it for her.

Her eyes flashed open and Arthur's stomach heaved, fearing she sensed his presence. Instead, she was focused again on the candle and this time the wick caught fire, seeming to do so out of its own will.

Unable to hold his mouth close, the prince felt his jaw go slack and was nearly sure he was so exhausted that he was hallucinating. After Morgana began to beam at the candle Arthur knew he was not hallucinating, but sincerely wished he was.

His throat tightened and his thoughts flew around until he was dizzy. _Morgana?_

_

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_

Morgana had been practicing almost every night; she was beyond thrilled that she had finally managed to voluntarily use magic. Illuminating a candle, and not accidentally, gave her hope. _I can control this; I will never need to fear myself again. _

She felt her pursed lips give way to a large grin. Before she could attempt the feat again, Morgana heard a foot crunch a leaf behind her. Swiftly, Morgana pulled a dagger from her inner sleeve and whipped around to face her attacker. Morgana recognized the voice before she looked up to see the face. _His _face.

"Damn it, Morgana! It's me, Arthur!"

Her mind raced. _ What have I done? What has he seen? _ Realizing that she had slashed Arthur's outstretched arm when she had turned around, Morgana immediately began to assess his wound. She sighed with relief_. The wound is shallow. _

"Arthur! I'm so sorry, but what are you doing sneaking up on someone in the middle of the night out here? " She hoped her voice was as casual as it could possibly be given the situation. _Maybe he didn't see anything._

Avoiding his eyes, she began to tear her handkerchief apart and loosely wrap it around his arm to help stem the bleeding. _Please, please say you haven't seen anything. _

"Your arm should be fine but I'm terribly sorry, I didn't mean to react so quickly"

"Morgana, look at me," he quietly murmured, ignoring his arm. Nervously, Morgana lifted her head, barely able to meet his intense gaze. _ Oh, no._ "What did I see?"

He seemed to be pleading with her, as if asking her to convince him he didn't see anything unordinary. As if she had some logical, safe explanation for being in the woods and lighting a candle just by staring at it. She lowered her gaze to the bandage she was tying.

"The candle? " Morgana flipped through scenarios…she was praying for her father, she was praying for herself, she was reflecting upon her life, she was doing anything but practicing witchcraft.

She made the mistake of glancing back into his blue eyes. His expression looked pained, and she knew it was not from her dagger. It was almost as if he had expected her to tell him. There was no fear in his face and in that moment she forgot all of her lies.

"I've been practicing to control that. I don't use spells or anything, it's just something my mind is able to do."

For once in his life Arthur Pendragon simply looked at Morgana. She feared it was because he detested what she was. She imagined Arthur handing her over the King to be executed.

"Arthur, please just say something," she begged, anxious to know his verdict.

"Morgana… how long," the prince cleared his throat and tried again, "how long have you been…. able to do things like that?"

She couldn't seem to stop herself from being honest. "It seem to began when I inadvertently started that fire in my chamber. Although, my dreams have been prophetic for awhile." Upon seeing his shocked expression, she quickly began to try to convince him she was still the same Morgana.

"I swear I mean no harm. I'm terrified of hurting anyone, even more terrified than I am of anyone knowing what I am." She began to back away from Arthur, lowering her eyes and wringing her hands as if they were the source of her problems.

Arthur stepped forward. "I won't say anything. You know I'd never let any harm come to you."

Her eyes hopefully flicked up from the ground. Scrutinizing his expression, she decided he looked protective if anything and she sighed. _Is this possible? Could Arthur really be this compassionate? _ She felt weightless at the though of Arthur knowing and accepting everything about her. She met his eyes and instinctively took a step towards him.

"After all, you're like a sister to me."

She felt the weight return to her chest so rapidly that she thought she heard the bones above her lungs crack. _A sister… _ Scolding herself for being foolish, she realized she should be rejoicing that she he wasn't going to have her executed for practicing magic. _Ridiculous! My life is more important than his feelings for me._

Morgana desperately wished her emotions matched her reasoning.

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**A/N:**

**Thanks for reading! Reviews would be awesome :D and I'll (Honey) get started on the next chapter for ultimate prize while Cheerios will work on this! Thanks again!**

**~Honey and Cheerios  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone! I lost a lot of my motivation to keep writing this after the writers' of Merlin mangled the story (or what I thought it should be). So here is the continuation of my creation of how the tale of Arthur and Morgana should have gone. **

**Disclaimer: If they did belong to me I'd change lots of things but, sadly, the character of Merlin do not.  
**_

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Calm, be calm. Don't scare her. Like a sister, that should ease her thoughts. _Arthur wasn't sure what a normal reaction to this discovery would look like. _Morgana? The girl who he used to chase around that castle hallway, that Morgana was a sorceress? _Should he be shouting? Should he be running for his life? Probably. But surprisingly, after the initial shock, he just felt…intrigued.

He felt if he misunderstood this new side of her at all, a permanent rift could form. But if he was the only one who knew her secret… His heart swelled at how close they could become. He could become the one she confided in and he would never have to resort to the sibling excuse as an explanation for his affections.

"How long have you been sneaking off in the night to practice?" He demanded, hungry for as much information about her as possible.

Morgana pursed her lips and raised her eyebrows at his commanding tone. "Coming from the man who stalked me all day and night?"

Arthur had the decency to lower his gaze and grin sheepishly at her accusation. "Noticed, did you? You're more keen than I give you credit for."

"I've been coming here almost every night for about a fortnight. Couldn't allow myself to be out of my own control." Morgana's voice became slightly higher with distress. "A danger to myself and everyone around me…" Her voice trailed off as she became overcome with emotion and she wrung her hands even more tightly, staring at them with anguish.

"Morgana," his voice held so much passion, the prince surprised even himself. "You never meant for any of it to happen. And now look at you, lighting candles at will! It's very impressive, and it could be useful too." He hoped he was reassuring. He didn't really have much practice encouraging anything.

He stepped closer and took her hands away from each other and into his own. He loved those hands, almost as much as the woman they belonged too, and hated seeing them crush one another. "When I'm king of Camelot, I know I'll need someone with your skills nearby." The prince silently rearranged the words to be closer to the truth. _I need you nearby. _

Morgana's eyes flew up to his in surprise and Arthur realized it was because he was holding her hands and was only inches away from her lips. _I'm scaring her. _ Dropping his hands away quickly and turning away the prince headed over to pick up the candle, and to hide his face.

After a few moments, Morgana cleared her throat and recovered her voice. "Thank you, Arthur. I really do appreciate how coolly you're taking this."

The prince scoffed, "As if this is the strangest thing I've ever discovered about you! This is nothing compared to when I discovered you were repulsed by meat. I mean, really Morgana. Animals are delicious!"

His teasing tone and crooked grin was infectious. The Lady smiled back at him, her laugh lighter than it had been in years. "You only threw a fit because this revelation occurred when I refused to eat an animal you slaughtered. As if you shooting it somehow affected its taste, it's not like you cooked it!"

"I did not throw a fit." His dignified tone transitioned back to being serious. "In any case, I cannot allow you to venture alone back to these woods. It's too dangerous for anyone, especially for the King's ward."

She immediately began to protest. "I'm hardly in control, I've really only just begun to practice. You've got to let me do this here, away from anyone I might hurt."

The prince couldn't help but smirk. "Well then, I guess you'll need someone to accompany you, to ensure that no harm comes to you."

Morgana fidgeted slightly as she tried her best to look indifferent. "And I suppose that someone is you."

"Well, I was thinking a mere knight, like Gareth, would do the job."

"Gareth!" The lady could hardly hide her disapproval but she quickly amended her rejection with a reason upon seeing Arthur's reaction. "I…. I would have to reveal everything to him and it is… it is dangerous enough having one other person know!"

He sighed loudly, feigning annoyance while barely able to keep from grinning. The idea of spending more nights, alone, with Morgana was very appealing. "Oh alright, I suppose I'll do it." He blew out the candle and began to head back to the castle with a gait that suggested that he expected Morgana to follow.

Suddenly, the candle ignited itself once again. The rapid shift from dark to a bright glow caused Arthur to freeze and yelp in surprise, "Morgana, you could've roasted me!"

"What was that about needing someone to protect me?" She remarked scathingly while shooting the prince a disdainful look. Morgana took the now lit candle and strode confidently past him, spilling light onto the surrounding forest floor ahead.

Arthur stared at her retreating figure in amazement. The prince shook his golden hair as if that could make the thoughts in his head come together and make a shred of sense. _And it's only the start…_

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Morgana was quite certain that sparks were coursing through her veins, spreading restless excitement as they went. It was the type of restlessness that made it nearly impossible not to shout, jump, or do some other equivalently foolish action. _Just a guard, he's just going to be a suit of armor. _ She consciously rationed her breath in attempts to reign in her excitement.

She only needed to recall one part of the conversation to slow everything to be within inches of life. _Like a sister…_ Her heart paused and her lungs seemed too pained to move at all. And yet, after a moment, they did keep working. Her heart and lungs pushed on. _As must I. _

The night veiled the extent of her emotions. Currently, Arthur was behind her and so the lady was free to let her face express what it wished.

"Morgana?" His voice always instantly held her full attention. Though she spent half her energy making it seem as if she was not quite that pathetic. Morgana imagined that she would rarely be exhausted if she did not have to control her every move around Arthur. _If I didn't have to control myself, I doubt happiness would allow me to sleep at all_. The lady remembered the prince was waiting for a response.

"Yes, Arthur?" She responded with dramatic sigh, as if his questions were becoming irritating.

"When is the next time we need to return here?"

She couldn't help but let her lip twitch slightly as she continued walking. _We. _She could definitely get use to the sound of that.

"No one is forcing you to come with me. In fact, I've been coming here alone for a while but I will want to practice again tomorrow. I am getting so close to where I need to be."

"Don't tell me that you've been wandering out in these woods alone at night, Morgana! You don't know what lurks in the shadows and if anything ever happened to you…"

"If anything ever happened to me what?" Morgana challenged back. "Yes, Gwen would be upset for some time, as would Uther. They would recover, with you there to comfort them."

" And what about me? I would feel nothing at your death, is that what you think?" His voice seemed to shake with anger. Upon seeing the lady's shock, he shook his golden head and sighed. "Then tell me, Morgana. Why would I bother following you and insisting on guarding you? For Gwen's sake? Or my father's?"

"I suppose," she murmured, mostly to herself. Morgana found it increasingly difficult to continue walking ahead, all of her body seemed to beg for her to turn and face Arthur. Despite the efforts of her head, she eventually gave in and turned rapidly to study the Prince's expression.

"Arthur, I understand you feel a responsibility for me, just as you feel a responsibility for all of Camelot. I also understand that I'm like a sister to you, and there's that responsibility as well."

The Prince's brow furrowed at the mention of responsibility and he closed his eyes as if that would allow him see what he needed to say. His eyes flew open and held what Morgana judged to be pain. "Responsibility…. you must think that's the only reason I do anything. But that's not true, Morgana. I wish I could explain but I know you must feel it for yourself."

After attempting to process all possible meanings of Arthur's response, Morgana turned away and began to continue walking back to the castle. _Maybe? _ She wished she could banish hope from her thoughts. She might be able to, if Arthur didn't keep looking at her that way.

Tomorrow night, she would be able to spend hours with the Prince whereupon she could ask countless questions she had spent the day forming.

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**Hope you liked it! I think I'll continue writing this, but I must say motivation would be in the form of reviewing and giving me feedback! **

**3 Lots of love,**

**Cheerios  
**


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